Tree work07884 274693Training01772 369694
Great Oaks works with developers across Lancashire as commercial tree surgeons, bringing early, practical arboriculture to compact urban plots so Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) survives beyond the first few summers. As an ARB Approved Contractor, our role is to make BNG planting plans buildable and durable. We focus on fit for place, safe delivery and a realistic tree establishment period that contractors can price and teams can actually deliver. For developers, ecologists and planners, that means fewer replacements, safer sites and outcomes that stand up to late summer audits.
Our take: Biodiversity Net Gain scores can look perfect on paper while the trees that carry those gains quietly fail by year three. The right tree choice is crucial to ensuring long-term greening in communities.
When assessing Biodiversity Net Gain, it’s all too common to focus solely on the 10% target. However, the entire point of BNG is lasting biodiversity, not just passing an initial assessment. Here in the North West, conditions on site determine whether the trees you plant will really last.
Lancashire’s urban streets bring wind funnelling between buildings, heat reflected from paving, clay subgrades, compacted made ground and overshadowed courtyards. Generic species lists and default densities struggle in these conditions. You can meet target units at application stage then spend three summers replacing failed young transplants and stressed standards. The score survives. The trees do not.
The fix is not to plant more. It is to plant better and to treat soils and rooting volume as hard constraints, not nice to haves.
Think beyond a headcount and design a small ecosystem that can be delivered on a live construction programme. Layering canopy, understorey and ground flora spreads nectar, fruit and shelter across seasons, increases resilience to heat and wind, and reduces the chance that a single stress wipes out the value created. Start by matching mature size and tolerances to the plot, then assemble complementary layers that keep resources available for wildlife from spring to late autumn.
Canopy: Medium crowns that tolerate wind and reflected heat in narrow corridors. Choose proven urban performers for the North West that handle clay and periodic drought.
Understorey: Small trees and large shrubs for nectar and fruit spread through the season.
Ground layer: Perennial mixes that tolerate shade and footfall creep.
This vertical structure spreads resources for insects and birds across months, not weeks. It also builds redundancy. If one layer struggles, others still deliver functional habitat. Design that fits the micro site and continues to function through stress years is key.
You will tailor to each micro site, but as a delivery stance: choose species with moderate mature size, strong wind firmness, urban tolerance and proven performance on clay or made ground. Pair this with clear soil specs and irrigation access in year one and two.
Prioritise fewer, higher quality trees with protection over large counts with poor survival prospects. Our in house teams can help you to deliver brownfield greening and advise on establishment in overshadowed courts and podiums. This expertise is one of the top reasons to hire an experienced tree surgeon.
Most urban failures are not about the tree at all. They are about a lack of soil that actually functions. Aim for engineered or ameliorated soils with known load bearing characteristics, oxygen diffusion and moisture retention.
Where pavements are narrow, create root pathways under hardscape with suspended paving or similar systems. If services pinch the pit, link tree pits into shared rooting trenches. If waterlogging is likely, integrate SuDS to dose the root zone with cleaner water and avoid summer drought stress.
If the scheme cannot deliver the minimum rooting volume for the proposed size class, downsize the species or adjust the layout. Do not promise canopy you cannot feed.
Over dense planting can feel like biodiversity in year one then collapse into losses by year three. As locally based commercial tree surgeons, we know that on small sites in the North West, quality beats quantity.
Use this backbone in briefs and appointments so BNG is not undone in procurement.
For sites with year round public access, our grounds maintenance teams build establishment tasks into regular cycles so watering and checks are actually delivered.
Bring tree specialists into RIBA 2 to shape constraints, rooting corridors, species and soil choices before utilities and kerb lines freeze. Lock these into tender information, not just design reports.
With our arboriculture knowledge, Great Oaks is perfectly placed to act as the delivery partner. We turn planting plans into trees that make year three, with staged payments linked to establishment milestones and safe working. Clients responsible for trees on commercial properties see the difference when survival is written into contracts and monitored.
You do not need a long annex. You need the right proof.
All of this sits alongside the statutory biodiversity metric documentation for submission.
If you want BNG that lasts on Lancashire’s compact urban plots, start with place, then structure, then soil, then species. Fewer trees, better supported. Rooting volume and soil performance as hard requirements. Maintenance periods that reflect real establishment. Put those into procurement and your score will have leaves, not just numbers. We deliver this on the ground as an ARB Approved Contractor with audited practice and trained teams.
Careers
Climbing, grounds maintenance and utility work.Climbing, grounds and utility work.
Arboricultural Association Approved Contractor.
Last minuteAvailability
Starts Monday 19 October 2026
3 days plus 1 for assessment
£9671 place
Entry requirements: Ground Based Chainsaw Operator and Tree Climbing and Aerial Rescue
Book this date, Using a Chainsaw from a Rope and HarnessOr call the training office on 01772 369694
